What a joke. Aside from several hydrophobic rantings, the actions of RMS didn't amount to a hill of beans for Tivo or anyone else. They'll continue on, perhaps inconvenienced by GPL3, but they won't live in fear of the Unshowered One. All GPL3 does is marginally increase their software development costs.
They've made the somewhat outrageous demand that every infringing chip (and console) be 'impounded and destroyed'.
The US Constitution gives inventors "... the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." If they do win at trial, destruction of every infringing device is within their rights.
Whether they have a proper patent, and if Sony infringes on that patent, is an exercise for the reader and jury.
... but there is a whole herd of people who say "violates the spirit of the GPL" when they mean "we don't like the way you're doing it". Those people can whine all they want, but if a company is in compliance with the license, the whiners don't have a leg to stand on.
Just because you think you can deal with distractions doesn't mean you can.
While this may be the exception that proves the rule, I have demonstrated this capability to the satisfaction of FAA as an instrument-rated pilot. While flying in the clouds, I have shown that I can keep the airplane greasy side down, on course, at assigned altitude, navigate, talk with controllers, and listen to the transmissions of other pilots and form a mental picture of where they are and how their actions might affect me. Most private pilots can't deal with this high workload without further training -- almost certainly, John F Kennedy Jr is dead because he blundered into a cloud and couldn't handle it.
This is a skill that requires a lot of work to sharpen and keep. I'd hazard a guess that most drivers aren't willing to do the work necessary.
As long as the states hand a drivers license to any biped with a pulse, we will continue to have poorly-trained drivers who can't handle exceptions. While a cellphone ban might trivially reduce the death rate, the poor skill and poor judgment of most drivers means that unnecessary deaths will continue.
Politicians will continue to push simple-minded, feel-good legislation like cellphone bans. The real cure is a serious driver testing regime similar to what pilots go through, and the courage to say "sorry, you're not competent to drive a two-ton death machine" to a significant percentage of currently-licensed drivers.
Because one is a mathematical expression, and the other is a physical device. Why is this difficult to understand?
I must disagree. One is (I'm guessing the preferred hardware embodiment) an asic, where the RSA functionality is enabled by the function blocks, their connections and topologies; one is general purpose hardware where the RSA functionality is enabled by the software. Both devices give the same functionality; both are enabled by the directions of a smart person. Why is only one deserving of a patent? Or, to phrase it another way, why is the world free to copy one but not the other?
Realize that software is not a patentable innovation.
At least in the US, the courts have ruled differently. Imagine the absurdity of Ron Rivest being granted a patent on the hardware version of RSA, but not the software version. Both are the same truly innovative system, yet there are those that argue that the software version is somehow less worthy of protection.
First-to-file sounds great at first blush, but it ends up screwing the small, innovative company. Imagine a discussion between Startup LLC and Microsoft. While discussing a partnership agreement, Startup mentions some tech they're working on. One of MS's patent lawyers is in the meeting, writes up what Startup talked about, and submits a patent app. Startup LLC is now screwed.
It can't get any more basic than this -- send a file to a printer. What genius at MS decided not to test this, or decided that the problem isn't a critical bug? Guess it's more important to say "we have a new ip stack!" for marketing purposes, regardless of how well it works.
If Mom can't get IPv6 to work in Vista, what do you think the real adoption rate of IPv6 will be? MS needs to put their collective heads out of their asses and fix this right bloody now.
I'm a Speakeasy customer (both personally and business-wise), and I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude, but I'm on a hair-trigger to move if service tanks. It isn't at all clear to me that Best Buy has learned from the Geek Squad debacle. Best Buy's service, salespeople, and culture are, shall we say, "challenged" (IMHO, they blow dead goats) -- every experience at Best Buy has been suboptimal for me, and I avoid them unless I have no other choice.
Additionally, as a Fortune 100 company, management must maintain an inordinate focus on the next quarter's numbers, which I believe will mean expense cuts at Speakeasy. Speakeasy's current tech support is great, but if those cuts happen, I expect the current support to turn into script-reading droids in a far away land. I also expect network restrictions al la Comcast to decrease expenses by increasing the number of "customers" serviced per unit bandwidth.
I want to be optimistic, but experience tells me that I'm hosed...
If you're objecting to the Supreme Court decision that corporations are persons, with "free speech" defined as the ability to buy congresscritters, I say yes, they should be limited.
In reality, I'm not sure how to fix the problem. Any fix has to get by the aforementioned critters, and court fixes to standing law (the "corp is a person" decision was made at least 100 years ago, and the speech equals money decision) take a lot of time and money.
It might be simpler to make all executives personally responsible for their decisions, with the CEO like the Captain of a ship -- responsible for all decisions.
Slashdot Mirror
Not to mention locusts.
There was also a dog in the manger, and a fly in the ointment.
Disbarment is considered an extremely serious sanction -- it basically takes away a person's main livelihood
Given all the crap he's been shoveling, I'd say he'd do fine as a ditch digger. 'course, he'd have to lose the $3000 suit.
Heck, I have a 2 foot by 3 foot "post it" from 3M. Damn cool for brainstorming. Sticks well to windows and walls.
What a joke. Aside from several hydrophobic rantings, the actions of RMS didn't amount to a hill of beans for Tivo or anyone else. They'll continue on, perhaps inconvenienced by GPL3, but they won't live in fear of the Unshowered One. All GPL3 does is marginally increase their software development costs.
... with Mr. Papadopoulos as the Pointy-Haired Boss[tm].
Tyler is a famous federal district where patent holders get better results, on average, at trial.
Why filing here isn't considered "forum shopping" isn't clear, but then again, I don't live in the same universe as lawyers do.
They've made the somewhat outrageous demand that every infringing chip (and console) be 'impounded and destroyed'.
The US Constitution gives inventors "... the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." If they do win at trial, destruction of every infringing device is within their rights.
Whether they have a proper patent, and if Sony infringes on that patent, is an exercise for the reader and jury.
... but there is a whole herd of people who say "violates the spirit of the GPL" when they mean "we don't like the way you're doing it". Those people can whine all they want, but if a company is in compliance with the license, the whiners don't have a leg to stand on.
d) The person performed sexual favors on the professor and the TAs.
Just because you think you can deal with distractions doesn't mean you can.
While this may be the exception that proves the rule, I have demonstrated this capability to the satisfaction of FAA as an instrument-rated pilot. While flying in the clouds, I have shown that I can keep the airplane greasy side down, on course, at assigned altitude, navigate, talk with controllers, and listen to the transmissions of other pilots and form a mental picture of where they are and how their actions might affect me. Most private pilots can't deal with this high workload without further training -- almost certainly, John F Kennedy Jr is dead because he blundered into a cloud and couldn't handle it.
This is a skill that requires a lot of work to sharpen and keep. I'd hazard a guess that most drivers aren't willing to do the work necessary.
As long as the states hand a drivers license to any biped with a pulse, we will continue to have poorly-trained drivers who can't handle exceptions. While a cellphone ban might trivially reduce the death rate, the poor skill and poor judgment of most drivers means that unnecessary deaths will continue.
Politicians will continue to push simple-minded, feel-good legislation like cellphone bans. The real cure is a serious driver testing regime similar to what pilots go through, and the courage to say "sorry, you're not competent to drive a two-ton death machine" to a significant percentage of currently-licensed drivers.
I won't hold my breath for a real cure.
Because one is a mathematical expression, and the other is a physical device. Why is this difficult to understand?
I must disagree. One is (I'm guessing the preferred hardware embodiment) an asic, where the RSA functionality is enabled by the function blocks, their connections and topologies; one is general purpose hardware where the RSA functionality is enabled by the software. Both devices give the same functionality; both are enabled by the directions of a smart person. Why is only one deserving of a patent? Or, to phrase it another way, why is the world free to copy one but not the other?
Realize that software is not a patentable innovation.
At least in the US, the courts have ruled differently. Imagine the absurdity of Ron Rivest being granted a patent on the hardware version of RSA, but not the software version. Both are the same truly innovative system, yet there are those that argue that the software version is somehow less worthy of protection.
First-to-file sounds great at first blush, but it ends up screwing the small, innovative company. Imagine a discussion between Startup LLC and Microsoft. While discussing a partnership agreement, Startup mentions some tech they're working on. One of MS's patent lawyers is in the meeting, writes up what Startup talked about, and submits a patent app. Startup LLC is now screwed.
Give me first-to-invent any day of the week.
It can't get any more basic than this -- send a file to a printer. What genius at MS decided not to test this, or decided that the problem isn't a critical bug? Guess it's more important to say "we have a new ip stack!" for marketing purposes, regardless of how well it works.
If Mom can't get IPv6 to work in Vista, what do you think the real adoption rate of IPv6 will be? MS needs to put their collective heads out of their asses and fix this right bloody now.
Imagine Ballmer jumping around and screaming at cabinet meetings.
Ah, but we don't -- McCain has the sense to send the sweaty Chair Thrower to the other side of the planet (China).
Thank all the known deities. And Good Riddance.
I'd bet that the Microsoft shareholders would be delighted to get rid of the current CEO.
Heck, I've got one for him...
Me, too. Although I'd charge him an extra $4B for his general obnoxiousness, sweaty dancing, and extreme blowhardedness.
And Eric Schmidt dope slaps Ballmer. Again.
...
You have to wonder how much longer The Chair Thrower is going to have a job
... but if you put lipstick on a pig, you still have a pig.
...
The usual cautions about wrestling with pigs are still in force
... Yahoo management will take over the combined entity, and we'll be done with Ballmer and Gates for this lifetime.
And notice that the only prior art references are two patents from Peerlogic that don't really apply.
No reference to the man page of sudo, or anything else. Lying bastards.
I'm a Speakeasy customer (both personally and business-wise), and I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude, but I'm on a hair-trigger to move if service tanks. It isn't at all clear to me that Best Buy has learned from the Geek Squad debacle. Best Buy's service, salespeople, and culture are, shall we say, "challenged" (IMHO, they blow dead goats) -- every experience at Best Buy has been suboptimal for me, and I avoid them unless I have no other choice.
...
Additionally, as a Fortune 100 company, management must maintain an inordinate focus on the next quarter's numbers, which I believe will mean expense cuts at Speakeasy. Speakeasy's current tech support is great, but if those cuts happen, I expect the current support to turn into script-reading droids in a far away land. I also expect network restrictions al la Comcast to decrease expenses by increasing the number of "customers" serviced per unit bandwidth.
I want to be optimistic, but experience tells me that I'm hosed
If you're objecting to the Supreme Court decision that corporations are persons, with "free speech" defined as the ability to buy congresscritters, I say yes, they should be limited.
In reality, I'm not sure how to fix the problem. Any fix has to get by the aforementioned critters, and court fixes to standing law (the "corp is a person" decision was made at least 100 years ago, and the speech equals money decision) take a lot of time and money.
It might be simpler to make all executives personally responsible for their decisions, with the CEO like the Captain of a ship -- responsible for all decisions.
we should have a limited federal government (9th, 10th) and limited state governments (14th), with the majority of power remaining with the people.
... you either fedex yourself to the repair center, or yank your molar out.
BEST .... TROLL .... EVER!